Letter Points to Dangerous Mischaracterization in National Defense Authorization Act Ruling

Threatening Situation for the RCP and Bob Avakian

from Revolution #274, July 8, 2012

The letter by Raymond Lotta, printed below, addresses highly important legal and political issues focused up in a recent lawsuit initiated by several progressive activists, journalists, and scholars. The lawsuit is contesting the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) of 2012, in particular one of its key provisions, section 1021. The NDAA gives any president the power to detain U.S. citizens indefinitely in military prisons, without charge or trial. It is a very ominous and threatening development. 

On May 16, a federal judge ruled in favor of the plaintiffs that section 1021 of the law is unconstitutional—and issued a temporary injunction blocking its enforcement. At this time, there is a further legal process underway which will determine whether this injunction will become permanent, preventing this section of the law to be enforced. 

But dragged into this mainly positive ruling is an erroneous and potentially harmful characterization of the Revolutionary Communist Party, USA and its Chairman, Bob Avakian. This mischaracterization (reproduced in Lotta’s letter below) could lend itself to false interpretations about the principles, objectives and strategies of the RCP, and could be misconstrued in such a way as to insinuate that the RCP is “terrorist.” 

As the letter points out, this is a very serious matter:

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Historic Non Violent Civil Disobedience TOMORROW to STOP "Stop & Frisk" -- Be There, Spread the Word!!

From “Up Against the Wall” to

Up In Their Faces

STOP, STOP & FRISK!

On October 21^st at 1 pm be at the State Office Building in Harlem as:

Cornel West, Professor, Author, Public Intellectual

Carl Dix, Revolutionary Communist Party

Rev. Stephen Phelps, Interim Senior Minister of Riverside Church

Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, Rector of St. Mary's Episcopal Church

Debra Sweet, National Director of World Can't Wait

Rev. Omar Wilks, Union Pentecostal Church

Prof. Jim Vrettos, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Elaine Brower, Military Mom and World Can't Wait

Commit Non-Violent Civil Disobedience to STOP “Stop & Frisk”

The New York Police Department is on pace to “Stop & Frisk” over 700,000 people in 2011! That's more than 1,900 people each day. More than 85% of those stopped are Black or Latino, many are as young as 11 or 12, and more than 90% of them were doing nothing wrong when the police stopped, humiliated, brutalized them or worse.

Everyone knows it is wrong. It is illegal, racist, unconstitutional and intolerable! But THIS FRIDAY people are putting themselves on the line to STOP IT. This is the beginning; this is serious; we won't stop until Stop & Frisk is ended.

Join the non-violent civil disobedience – OR – BE THERE TO BEAR WITNESS & SUPPORT!

WEAR BLACK

Friday, October 21

1pm Rally at Harlem State Office Building

1:30 March to NYPD 28^th Precinct at West 123^rd and Frederick Douglass Boulevard

Endorsed by:

Rev. Luis Barrios, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Herb Boyd, journalist, author, Harlem NY

Brian Figueroux, Esq.

Chris Hedges, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist

Nicholas Heyward, Father of Nicholas Heyward, Jr. who was killed by police

Sikivu Hutchinson, author

Lawrence Lucas, Our Lady of Lourdes RC Church

Cynthia McKinney, former Congressperson

Efia Nwangaza, Malcolm X Center, Greenville, SC

Bill Quigley, Loyola Law New Orleans

Mark Taylor, Princeton University

Sunsara Taylor, writer Revolution Newspaper and World Can't Wait Advisory Board

The Stop Mass Incarceration Network: PO Box 941, New York, NY 10002
stopmassincarceration(at)ymail.com  * 973.756.7666 * stopmassincarceration.tumblr.com